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A #Giveaway, A #Giveaway & An Author Guest Post

I grew up daydreaming about fairytales, and my love for discovering new worlds has never died. I am not one of those writers who always knew I would write. I thought that was what other people did until one day, a few years ago, I took a challenge from a friend and typed my first words. My journey has been wonderful, and I cannot imagine a day where I would ever give up writing. My love for reading is what fueled my imagination in the first place and still does. When I am not writing or reading, I enjoy family time with my husband and two children. My family and I live in a quiet community in Northern Utah, and I am so thankful for the rich life I have been blessed with.

Hello Freda! Thanks so much for having me here today and for your interest in Dreamscape!

I’m so excited to share how this series came to be and I appreciate your asking. It’s not often I get the chance to share the origins of a story, so this is very special to me.

First, a little background…I am an ordinary woman with a love for reading. I didn’t grow up thinking I would be a writer. I was totally amazed at the idea of creating a book, a story, but I never thought I would have one of my own—until a few years ago, when my first idea struck me.

Let’s just say I had no clue what to do with it when it came. Seriously, I hated English class…so many rules, yada-yada.

The thing is, I grew up with dyslexia and didn’t know I had it until I was an adult. It’s easy enough for me to manage now, but back in the day, it was hard.

My first idea turned into a four book series that wants to be endless. I love the fae and when the story came to me, I couldn’t let it go without the story being told. So, I dug in my heels and learned to write.

I’ve learned a lot about story telling since then, but the truth is I firmly believe the idea doesn’t come from me. Who knows where it does come from, but I’m usually hit with a character talking to me.

For Dreamscape, I was smack dab in the middle of writing the last book in my Elemental Enmity series and this warrior popped into my mind. A scene evolved where he was staring at a girl, who, as it happened, he had kidnapped. There was this immediate tension between the two that had nothing to do with her capture.

To say I was intrigued by him would be an understatement. Seth commanded my mind and pushed Rayla, the protagonist for my Elemental series, into the corners for a time.

The mythology for Dreamscape combines elements from Morpheus, Hades, and a little Beauty and the Beast for good measure. How my mind puts all of this together, I’ll never know, but somehow, it does, lol.

So here I had a warrior who was trapped in his realm, desperately in need of help. As the story unfolded, I was sucked into the world and found tidbits of information that led me to research certain things, which led to more revelations that became the book.

I’m sure all authors are different, to an extent, but characters come to me with personality, a backstory, a purpose, and usually a big, fat attitude.

I learned a lot about dreams during my research, but the reality is we really don’t know where they come from. In Dreamscape, they are sent to us to help us deal with life and to inspire us, but there’s a catch. There are beings that feed off human emotion and life force through dreams, and oh, by the way, they happen to be the ones sending dreams to us. One side desires positive, or if you will, light emotions, while the other side thrives on darkness or negativity. Dreamscape begins with the darkness winning.

It’s a battle of good and evil with a twist.

As for the cover, I’m obsessed with searching stock images for people that resemble my characters. I found a model that I thought was absolutely beautiful, and when I saw this image, it just clicked. The idea behind the covers for this series is to create a mood. For Dreamscape, I wanted something enticing, something that draws the reader in and promises wonder.

My cover artist has a brilliant way of taking something already great and making it outstanding. I’m a little biased, of course, but even if this wasn’t my cover, I’d love it.

The process of writing is so amazing. It’s essentially like a waking dream. Some parts I get to control…some, not so much. I wouldn’t trade it for anything, though.

Writing is my passion and my dream is to share my stories with as many readers as possible. I used to think that writers concocted a bunch of things and had answers to everything, but from where I’m sitting, story comes to me piece by piece. I think it has to be that way; otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to write convincingly enough to have twists that surprise and shock and romance that is fresh. I’m glad stories come to me the way they do because, in essence, I get to be the first reader. The characters tell their stories. They just use my fingers to do it.

Thanks again, Freda, for inviting me here today, and for letting me ramble for a while.

I love to interact with readers, and I’m always up for a new friend. You can find me on facebook, twitter, and goodreads, or at my blog.

Every night before Amelia falls asleep she makes a wish to dream of him – the man who calls her to their beautiful private oasis, her sanctuary where she is free of her greedy landlord’s threats. But tonight, he will not call Amelia to him. Tonight, another man will step into her world to claim her. Tonight, Amelia’s shattering reality will crumble - and disappear into the Dreamscape…along with her freedom.

When Amelia dreams tonight, her nightmare becomes her new world where Seth is her captor and anything is possible…except escape. Seth needs Amelia to break the curse that binds him to the Dreamscape. He must convince her that she was made to free him, that she was made to join him.

For if he fails, he will never escape his prison, and he will lose Earth to the Netherworld where the evil Erobos wait to consume the human realm and everything in it. If he fails, Seth will lose the one thing that matters to him: Amelia.

Great Guest Post! I'm always so interested in the writing process of an author. And every author is so different but the same in saying that the characters write the story or lead them at least. And that the story starts with a spark of an idea or a character that won't leave them alone. It's funny that you never wanted to be a writer until your first story came to you.

Oh and that cover, if I saw that book on the shelf it would beg me to buy it! It's so gorgeous!

Loved reading your guest post, Christie. A little bit more insight to add to what I've come to know about you. :) And yes, if that were my book cover, I'd love it, too. Like you, I keep being drawn to it. It's beyond gorgeous. Continued success and luck with Dreamscape!

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